June 14, 2005
Michael Not Guilty
"God is alive and well!" - Michael Jackson fan after the not guilty verdicts
The Michael Jackson trial is a lesson on how our criminal justice system works. And I would suggest despite the distasteful verdicts, it worked about like it was supposed to. Is Michael Jackson a pedophile? Almost certainly. Does he deserve to be behind bars? If so, yes.
But in our system people are not sent to prison because they "are" something (even if they "are" a pedophile). They are sent to prison because they are convicted of specific charges. Due process calls for the state to prove those charges. A tie goes to the defendant. In the case of these specific charges the state was unable to prove it’s case. The credibility of it’s witnesses dropped faster than Michael’s bank balance. "He's just not guilty of the crimes he's been charged with," said juror Ray Hultman. "That's not to say he's an innocent man."
If there’s any good to come from this Michael’s taking the pledge. He’s not going to sleep with young boys anymore. At least till things cool down. And certainly not openly.
God is alive and well and so is Michael Jackson, not to mention scot free. But it remains to be seen whether he’s been "scared straight".
- Ed Powell